Brantlinger, Patrick. “Kipling’s” The White Man’s Burden” and Its Afterlives.” English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, vol. 50, no. 2, 2007, pp. 172-191.
The article by Brantlinger evaluates the life, transition, and transformation of the “White Man’s Burden,” as it was described in a poem by Rudyard Kipling, its connections to the imperial sentiment in the US, and its continued legacy in American imperialism of the 21st century. Brantlinger argues that Kipling’s poem is inherently racist in nature, in order to justify encroaching on other nations, countries, and their liberties (172). This justification is necessary to explain to the population and themselves why is it morally right to occupy countries and nations that do not pose an inherent threat to the US and put its people under a form of slavery. Brantlinger then continues to argue that the spirit of the White Man’s Burden, as propagated by literature between 1880-1920s, has taken on a different form throughout the rest of the 20th century, with its final form emerging during American wars in the Middle East (174).
The source of this information is a peer-reviewed journal, which vouches for quality of the information. The type of research used by Bratlinger is that of a thematic analysis with a heavy use of literature. The author compares and contrasts opposing views in order to ensure a lack of bias in their analysis. The use of first tense is present in the paper, but not to express opinions. Rather, it is used to denote the work done by the researcher. Bratlinger attempts to approach the issue with a dispassionate historic perspective.
The article supports one of the points I will seek to prove in the essay, namely that there is a connection between the concept of the White Man’s Burden and western imperialism. Quote: “Imperialism would have necessitated the invention of racism as the only possible … excuse for its deeds, even if no race-thinking had ever existed in the civilized world” (Bratlinger 173).
Murphy, Gretchen. Shadowing the White Man’s Burden. New York University Press, 2010.
The book by Murphy provides an in-depth analysis on the White Man’s Burden through the prism of literature evolution and politics in the US. The author states that the ultimate purpose of the initial poem as written by Kipling is uncertain – it could be a satire as much as a genuine proposition for imperialism. While the intent remains unclear, the poem became a slogan for pro-imperialist forces in the US and a target of merciless satire for its opponents, one of whom was Mark Twain (Murphy 27). The author highlights the evolution of the idea of the White Man’s burden in the US, similar to Bratlinger (172) – at the start, it was a way for the US to deal with its ex-colonial past by integrating into the pan-western community by picking the White Man’s Burden. After the sun has set on the British Empire, the US effectively became its inheritor, and continued to wage White Man’s Burden wars for democracy.
The book has been well-written and peer-reviewed by several specialists in the field, to ensure its authenticity. The author does not have an emotional stake in the question and the level of bias is low. The book relies on plethora of historic and academic sources to make its point. The use of first tense and personal remarks are largely non-existent outside of the introduction page.
The source and its arguments would be a good addition to the subjects already touched upon by Bratlinger. The central idea that will be used in the essay includes the fact that the US tried to find its own identity by adopting the White Man’s Burden. Quote: “Where is the “real meaning” of a poem? What does a poem do in the world? For wondering what Kipling’s poem in fact meant and did became one way that readers in the United States pondered some of their most pressing questions of national and racial identity” (Murphy 12).
Schmidt, Peter. Sitting in darkness: New South fiction, education, and the rise of Jim Crow colonialism, 1865-1920. University Press of Mississippi, 2010.
The book by Schmidt takes a view on the subject of imperialism and the White Man’s burden from a different perspective, that adopted by Mark Twain in his satire titled “To the Person Sitting in the Dark”. The book addresses the subject brought up by previous sources, namely that of conflicted race nationalism. Schmidt (76) states that the reason why the very thesis of the White Man’s Burden appeared first in the US was because of the fact that, while the US in general saw itself as a “white nation,” it contained a great number of black citizens. Thus, in order to fully embrace its western heritage, it had to deal with the White Man’s Burden at home, which resulted in Jim Crow laws and other racist and oppressive practices, as described in Sutton Griggs’ “Imperium in Imperio” (Schmidt 81).
The book offers a content analysis of western and namely southern fiction. The biases presented in the book do not go over the cultural perceptions of events of the far past through the notions of conventional morality. The content is presented in an interesting and logical way, first offering the highlights of various southern fiction-writers, followed by an interpretation connected with historical events of the time.
The information found in the book will supplement the essay by providing views on various fiction of the time in connection to Kipling’s White Man’s burden. Namely, the featured Yola Leroy, Bricks without Straw, and To the Person Sitting in the Dark. Quote: “In Sitting in Darkness the reconstruction narratives of uplift were revised both to justify Jim Crow at home and to persuade many skeptical Americans that the U.S. imperial destiny abroad meant the reconstruction of its newly acquired colonies, with special emphasis on limited suffrage rights and new education systems” (Schmidt 13).
